Haulin Assets
Business & Finance
About
Chris has years of experience helping others start their own trucking company. Now he’s going from behind the desk to behind the wheel to put his money where his mouth is. Follow the highs and lows of starting a trucking company through our podcast Haulin Assets.
Episodes
- #194. Freight Rates & Fuel Prices
Freight rates and fuel prices are two of the biggest forces in trucking—and they’re more connected than most drivers realize. In this episode, we break down what actually drives both, how they move together (but at different speeds), and w…
- #193. Building Your Trucking Business (Legal and Tax Deep Dive)
Too many owner-operators focus on loads, trucks, and revenue—but overlook the foundation that determines how much they actually keep. In this episode, we break down the legal structures, tax strategies, and partnership decisions that can e…
- #192. Understanding DOT Numbers and MC Authority
Starting a trucking company sounds simple—until you hit the paperwork. DOT numbers, MC authority, IFTA, IRP… it’s where a lot of new carriers get stuck, overpay, or make costly mistakes before they ever haul a load. In this episode, we bre…
- #191. Removing Resistance for Your Customers (So You’re Easy to Work With)
Running a trucking business is already hard. What makes it even harder is when your own systems are working against you. In this episode, we break down the concept of “friction” in your business—those small inefficiencies that slow things…
- #190. Financing a Truck & Trailer the Right Way
Buying a truck is exciting. Signing the wrong financing deal? Not so much. In this episode, Chris and Craig break down how to finance a truck and trailer the right way, so your equipment works for you instead of trapping you in bad payment…
- #189. 3 Things I was Dead Wrong About When I Started
In this episode of Haulin Assets 2.0, we look back at the rapid growth from 1 truck to 12 in just 2.5 years—right before the freight market flipped. What seemed like momentum quickly turned into hard lessons. This episode breaks down the t…
- #188. Haulin Assets 2.0: Welcome Back to the Podcast
After seven years and one of the toughest freight markets anyone can remember, Haulin Assets is back — refocused and ready for the next chapter. In this relaunch episode, we look at why the podcast started, what it was meant to solve, and…
- #187. Update And Relaunch
After an extended break, Haulin’ Assets is back. In this episode, I explain where we’ve been, why the podcast went quiet longer than expected, and what’s changing as we relaunch. Quarter four was busy, the market shifted quickly, and betwe…
- #186. August 2025 Financials
It's Truck Driver Appreciation Week and before we get into the August 2025 Financials, Craig and I talk a little bit about what that means. I personally want to thank you all for being such a driving force in the economy of this great coun…
- #185. Electric Trucks and Driverless Vehicles and English Mandates, Oh My
The last couple of weeks have actually been kind of slow, when it comes to the craziness of trucking so I don't have any really dramatic stories from the road. However, now that Break Safety Week has come and gone I do talk about how it af…
- #184. July 2025 Financials
The financial challenges continue in July, but before we get into that I tell Craig about two stories from the road. One of them involves smelly onions. The other is about some spilt milk — buttermilk, to be exact. What To Expect From Epis…
- #183. The State of the Freight Market
In this episode of Haulin Assets, we’re giving a freight market update—and while the beginning might sound a little doom-and-gloom, don’t worry. There’s light at the end of the tunnel, and we share why things are finally starting to turn a…
- #182. June 2025 Financials
June had some short-term challenges, but also some indicators that the future might be a little brighter. Before we dive into the numbers, I share an experience one of our drivers had that caused an unloading delay. It was a new one that h…
- #181. 4 Ways to Know the Timing Is Right to Start a Trucking Company
The most common question I get is, "When is a good time to start a trucking company". In this Episode Craig and I are going to answer that question and the answer might not be what you think. But..... before we get into that, I tell a stor…
- #180. May 2025 Financials
Before we dive into the nuts and bolts of May 2025, Craig and I talk about the crazy weekend we just had. Literally every truck had some kind of significant issue over the weekend. Everything from problems cause by getting loaded more than…
- #179. 3 Things Every Business Should Do Regularly
What are the odds that two clutches go out within 24 hours of each other? Can't be high, but we had it happen. Does that mean I should take a trip to Vegas and start placing bets? Our experience with two different shops was night and day.…
- #178. April 2025 Financials
Check out MotorcarrierHQ.com Find our courses at haulinassetsacademy.com See the profit and loss statement at haulinassetsllc.com Before Craig and I dive into the April 2025 financials, we talk about a fun little adventure I had. It had be…
- #177. March 2025 Financials
March 2025 was a good financial month, but before we get into that, Craig and I talk about one of our trailers being rejected. It was because of some minor damage that had happened a while ago and hadn't been an issue, so why the rejection…
- #176. What You Need To Know About Trucking Insurance
Trucking Insurance is tricky! It is also typically in the top 5 expenses for a trucking company. For Haulin Assets it is the 4th biggest expense. There are a lot of factors that go into getting the best policy and the best pricing. In this…
- #175. February 2025 Financials
February 2025 was a pretty eventful and interesting month. We had a truck get in a little skirmish with a BMW. No one was hurt and the vehicles weren't too bad off either, but it was one of those incidents that really make you scratch your…
- #174. How Truckers Make Money: A Guide to Driver Compensation
Get the full show notes at haulinassetsllc.com Check out MotorcarrierHQ.com Find our courses at haulinassetsacademy.com Before we get into talking about truck driver pay, I talk about a recent incident where one of our trucks had its hood…
- #173. January 2025 Financials
Rinse and repeat is a good thing when times are good, not so much when you're in a freight market like we are in right now. January seems almost like a carbon copy of December. Most of the numbers are very similar. Before Craig and I dive…
- #172. You've Been In an Accident, Now What?
This is a super important episode. If you own a truck, are a truck driver or run a trucking company, chances are you are going to deal with an accident at some point in your career. When it happens, you want things to go as well as possibl…
- #171. December 2024 Financials
Before we get into the December 2024 financials, I go on a bit of a rant about truck parking. It is such a HUGE Problem! It causes drivers frustration and costs everyone time and money. I talk about an incident that recently happened to us…
- #170. Building a Culture of Safety
As I mentioned recently, Brad, our operations manager left us the end of last year and Nate and I have had to divvy out his responsibilities. One of them that I have taken on is safety and compliance, so those topics have been pretty heavy…
- #169. November 2024 Financials
It's the end of 2024, in fact, this episode with the November 2024 Financials is getting recorded on the last day of the year, but will post on the first day of the new year. 2024 was a tough year, proceeded by another tough year, that hon…
- #168. October 2024 Financials
Happy Thanksgiving! Some of you will be home for Thanksgiving, some of you won’t, I know what that is like. I want you all to know I am thankful for you. Both that you are listeners and fans of the podcast and that you keep America moving.…
- #167. Getting Ready for 2024 Taxes
Get the full show notes at haulinassetsllc.com Check out MotorcarrierHQ.com Find our courses at haulinassetsacademy.com The end of the year is a crazy busy time with the Holidays and everything else going on so taxes typically are not at t…
- #166. September 2024 Financials
Get the full show notes at haulinassetsllc.com Check out MotorcarrierHQ.com Find our courses at haulinassetsacademy.com It's Halloween, which is a fun time of year. I love driving down the road and seeing how drivers deck out their trucks.…
- #165. Staying Healthy on the Road (thoughts from someone who struggles)
Get the full show notes at haulinassetsllc.com Check out MotorcarrierHQ.com Find our courses at haulinassetsacademy.com In this episode we are going to step out of the truck and away from the business and focus on you and your health. This…
- #164. August 2024 Financials
Get the full show notes at haulinassetsllc.com Check out MotorcarrierHQ.com Find our courses at haulinassetsacademy.com Holy cow, Hurricane Helene has caused some serious problems. It seems like it has been a while since we have had a hurr…
- #163. The Road to Better Safety, pt.2
In episode 160, we talked about CSA scores and how they work and some best practices. Managing the safety program for a trucking company is not an easy job, whether you are an O/O or have a fleet. There is a lot to know and do. So, what ha…
- #162. The Road to Better Safety, pt.1
In the last episode on safety, we talked about CSA scores and how they work and some best practices. Managing the safety program for a trucking company is not an easy job, whether you are an O/O or have a fleet. There is a lot to know and…
- #161. July 2024 Financials
Haulin Assets Academy Full Show Notes Haulin Assets T-shirts and More This year has been better than last year, but we are still not where we want to be. Hopefully, things continue to gradually improve as the year goes on. Here is what Jul…
- #160. Boosting Your CSA Scores: Navigating DOT Inspections and Safety Ratings
What do peaches and the FMCSA Safety program have in common. You'll have to listen to find out, but I will tell you, understanding the low hanging fruit principle can help you stay out of hot water with the FMCSA. We cover a lot in this fi…
- #159. How To Avoid Fraud In The Trucking Industry
Haulin Assets Academy: https://www.haulinassetsacademy.com/ Motor Carrier HQ: https://www.motorcarrierhq.com/ This is a topic I wish I did not have to cover, but fraud in the trucking industry is going crazy right now and it is affecting a…
- #158. June 2024 Financials
Haulin Assets Academy: https://www.haulinassetsacademy.com/ I start off this episode ranting a bit about a couple of challenges I faced recently. One involved being dropped from a load that I think was completely unwarranted. The second si…
- #157. Be the Leader Your Trucking Company Needs
Haulin Assets Academy: https://www.haulinassetsacademy.com/ Throughout my military, business ownership and corporate careers I have held many different types of leadership positions. I have lead groups with just a few people to groups with…
- #156. May 2024 Financials
This month is a really good indicator of what happens when you have a truck sitting for too long. We had a truck sit the entire month and the impact on the bottom line is pretty easy to calculate. Craig and I spend a few minutes of this ep…
- #155. 2024 Insurance Renewal
We just completed our 2024 insurance renewal last month, so I thought this world be a good time to revisit the subject of insurance. It's been several years since we have taken a serious swing at the topic and high time we do it again. Esp…
- #154. April 2024 Financials
We keep moving in the right direction, April 2024 Financials were better than March. If you remember I mentioned I would be happy if we can keep doubling our net income for 4-5 months. April is the third month in a row we have been able to…
- #153. Independent Owner Operator vs. Leased Owner Operator
Independent Owner Operator verses Leased Owner Operator is a bit of a controversial topic because you get strong opinions on both sides of the argument. I think that is because being an independent Owner Operator is the right thing for som…
- #152. March 2024 Financials
Although we saw a slight improvement, the March 2024 financials turned out to be more like February than I would have liked. Considering the extra payroll, it really could have been worse. Hopefully we continue to see improvement as the ye…
- #151. Eating Marshmallows & Trucking
Who didn't like marshmallows when they were a kid and how do they relate to trucking? We'll try to answer that. Before we do, I want to rant a bit. I can't wait until I'm like Walmart and companies just have to do what I say, whether they…
- #150. February 2024 Financials
Sign up for information about Haulin Assets Academy here: https://haulinassetsllc.com/2024/01/23/finding-loads-the-process-episode-146/ Check out Fuelstream here: https://www.fuelstreamservices.com/ Traditionally, February is the low point…
- #149. Finding Loads: Keys to Success
Sign up for information about Haulin Assets Academy here: https://haulinassetsllc.com/2024/01/23/finding-loads-the-process-episode-146/ We start this episode off with a funny story about Cruella de Vil the truck, it makes for a good listen…
- #148. Finding Loads: Building Relationships
If you want to hear about the worst experiences I have had with a repair shop, listen to this episode. All I can say is never take your truck to the Freightliner Northwest in the Seattle area. As time goes on, I get more and more comfortab…
- #147. January 2024 Financials & Chris's Dumb Mistake
January was a good month, it seems like it has been a while since I have said that. It's also been a while since I have told a good "Chris is stupid story" from my adventures on the road. This episode starts with a good one. The silver lin…
- #146. Finding Loads: The Process
This episode is jam packed with tips to help you find loads for your trucking company. We hone in on the process of finding and booking loads. We also start off this episode by introducing a new project I am working on that is going to be…
- #145. December 2023 Financials
Happy New Year!! I am so happy to kick 2023 to the curb. I am optimistic that we will see some good things happen in 2024. Regardless of what happens with the economy, I think the changes we are making will help Haulin Assets continue to i…